- Date
- November 6, 2000, 17:47 local (Nov 7, 2000, 00:47 UTC)
- Place
- Roswell, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N95262Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 1, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001106027929A
- Case key
- 50606
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the flight instructor's failure to adequately preflight the airplane, which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor was the dark night light condition.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During approach, the engine stopped producing power, and the flight instructor performed a night forced landing to a "dark area." During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a transmission wire. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed 1 pint of fuel remaining in each wing tank. The flight instructor said that he watched his student perform the preflight, but was distracted by a conversation with a fellow employee. The flight instructor said that he did not visually check the fuel tanks himself.
Factual narrative
On November 6, 2000, at 1747 mountain standard time, a Cessna 152, N95262, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Roswell, New Mexico. The flight instructor and his student were not injured. Great Southwest Aviation, Inc., Roswell, New Mexico, was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local, instructional flight that originated approximately 30 minutes before the accident. The flight instructor had not filed a flight plan.
According to the flight instructor, while approaching the airport, the engine stopped producing power, and he performed a night forced landing to a "dark area." During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a transmission wire. Subsequently, during the landing sequence, the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer were damaged.
Postaccident examination of the airplane by a mechanic revealed 1 pint of fuel remaining in each wing tank. The flight instructor said that he watched his student perform the preflight, but was distracted by a conversation with a fellow employee. The flight instructor said that he did not visually check the fuel tanks himself.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95262
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285869
- Airframe hours
- 5,848
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Great Southwest Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 1, 2000
- Departed
- ROW
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,025 total · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 170° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 126 °F, dew point 99 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ROW, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.